In this study, we investigated the rate of colonization of skin of children with atopic dermatitis (AD) by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and characterized the isolates. Active skin lesions in pediatric AD patients were cultured with Rodac Staph (Komed, Korea). S. aureus isolates were examined for drug susceptibilities, analyzed for the eta, etb, tst, and pvl genes, and typed using agr polymorphism, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis of SmaI-restricted chromosomal DNA, and staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) typing. Eighty-seven (75.4%) of 115 patients had cultivable S. aureus isolates, 16 of which (18.3%) were MRSA. All MRSA isolates were susceptible to chloramphenicol, rifampin, cotrimoxazole, and ciprofloxacin. While methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) isolates were composed of 23 isolates of singular types and nine clusters comprising 48 isolates, MRSA isolates were typed into three clones: eight isolates of pulsotype A-agr-1-SCCmec IV, five isolates of pulsotype B-agr-3-SCCmec IIb-etb positive, and three isolates of pulsotype C-agr-3-SCCmec IV. Three SCCmec IVA MRSA isolates were tst positive, but none were positive for the pvl or eta gene. Among 71 MSSA isolates, 7 isolates were tst positive, 6 of which were pulsotype F-agr-3, and 9 of 10 agr-4 isolates were eta positive. The average ages of patients carrying MSSA, SCCmec IVA MRSA, and SCCmec IIb MRSA were 7.7 ؎ 4.6, 3.1 ؎ 1.5, and 8.2 ؎ 3.1 years, respectively. Among the patients carrying MRSA, two patients had been treated with oral antimicrobials, and one had been admitted to the hospital 18 months previously. In conclusion, community-acquired MRSA isolates of a few clones colonized the skin of patients with AD without risk factors for the acquisition of hospital-acquired MRSA, which suggested that the skin of children with AD may represent a significant reservoir of MRSA colonization in the community.

Background : Procedures for rapid identification and susceptibility testing by direct inoculation (DI) from positive blood culture bottles into an automated system have not been standardized. This study was purposed to evaluate DI from BACTEC 9240 blood culture system (BD, USA) into MicroScan (Dade Behring, USA) or Phoenix (BD, USA).Methods : From May to June 2006, bacterial pellets from positive aerobic bottles showing grampositive cocci (GPC) or gram-negative rods (GNR) of single morphology were directly inoculated to MicroScan PosCombo1A and NegCombo32 and to Phoenix PMIC/ID-107 and NMIC/ID-53. In addition, the automated instruments were also inoculated from subcultures (standard inoculations, SI). Species identification and susceptibilities were compared between DI and SI and between MicroScan and Phoenix.Results : A total of 108, 104, and 78 specimens were tested with MicroScan, Phoenix, and both, respectively. When DI and SI were matched, 94.8% of GPC were correctly identified with MicroScan, compared to 80.7% with Phoenix, and 93.9% of GNR were correctly identified with MicroScan, compared to 95.7% with Phoenix. DI with MicroScan and Phoenix showed correct susceptibilities in 94.6% of 1,150 and 96.5% of 660 tests (with very major error [VME] of 1.1% and 1.1%), respectively, among GPC and in 94.4% of 942 and 96.3% of 781 tests (with VME of 0.6% and 0%), respectively, of GNR. Correlation of identification/susceptibilities between MicroScan and Phoenix using DI were 81.8%/98.0% for Staphylococcus aureus and 100.0%/95.6% for Escherichia coli.Conclusions : DI warrants a reliable method for identification and susceptibility testing of both GPC and GNR in MicroScan, and those of only GNR in Phoenix. (Korean J Lab Med 2009;29:25-34)